Keys to the king­dom

In­her­it­ing this Bears de­fense is akin to pulling on a pair of jeans and find­ing a crisp $100 bill in the front pocket. ■ And an­other hundo in the back. ■ So here you go, Chuck Pagano. Here are four Pro Bowlers (three All-Pros), part of the NFL’s third-ranked de­fense in 2018. No team took the ball away more. No team was scored upon less. ■ And now, no new co­or­di­na­tor faces higher ex­pec­ta­tions in 2019. ■ Pagano, 58, was hired Fri­day to re­place re­spected co­or­di­na­tor Vic Fan­gio, whom the Bron­cos hired as head coach. Ex­actly what Pagano will ac­com­plish with this loaded de­fense remains to be seen. But the ev­i­dence from his re­cent his­tory shows check­ered re­sults on the field and many loyal play­ers who vouch for his en­er­getic, ded­i­cated, ag­gres­sive style. ■ Here is a run­down of Pagano’s only year as an NFL de­fen­sive co­or­di­na­tor and the six he coached the Colts be­fore spend­ing 2018 away from the side­line. From his bat­tle with leukemia in 2012 to the Colts’ run to the 2014 AFC cham­pi­onship game to their swift down­fall, Pagano joins the Bears with a lot to prove.

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QUOTES FROM THE BAL­TI­MORE SUN AND INDIANPOLIS STAR NO PRO BOWL DE­FEND­ERS IN 2016 OR 2017